Gov. Ritter Declares October Dyslexia Awareness Month

The Colorado Department of Education is proud to join Colorado Gov. Bill Ritter in creating awareness for dyslexia, a neurobiological learning disability that causes difficulties in reading, writing, spelling and using numbers.

Follow up:

As part of Dyslexia Awareness Month, the Governor is asking that the International Dyslexia Association—Rocky Mountain Branch and other non-profit organizations share their knowledge, experience and support to increase the public’s awareness about dyslexia.

“We have engaged in a collaborative venture with our constituent groups—parents, school districts, practitioners, and representatives from higher education—to ensure that all our students with literacy challenges, including those with dyslexia, receive high quality, research-based reading instruction,” said Ed Steinberg,
CDE’s assistant commissioner for student support. “Our office has drafted a Fast Facts document on dyslexia as an additional step in an ongoing effort to assist teachers in meeting this goal.”

The “Fast Facts” on dyslexia can be found at http://www.cde.state.co.us/cdesped/FastFactsIndex.asp

CDE will begin providing technical assistance and training to school districts and administrative units this winter as required by H.B. 08-1223, signed in May 2008. The bill asks that trainings cover the areas of awareness, assessment, identification and evidence-based monitoring and scientifically based interventions to address the needs of students with dyslexia.

Fifteen to twenty percent of the population is affected by dyslexia. Research supports the essential role of early identification and appropriate instruction in preventing and alleviating the symptoms of dyslexia.

For more information, visit http://www.cde.state.co.us/cdesped/index.asp


For more information, contact Mark Stevens, 303-866-3898, or Megan McDermott, 303-866-2334, in the CDE Office of Communications. To sign up for the CDE e-mail news service, please visit http://www.cde.state.co.us/Communications/index.html .